West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-03-04
FARMERS COLUMN.
Edited by the Farmers Central Agricul-
tural Club.



tural Club.
From Clarke Va. } Courier Of Feb, "a.
Another Congress has nearly
reached its close, and nothing has
been done with the tariff, which is
sapping theYery life blood of the ma
ton. This, too, in the face of the
platform and promises Of both polit-
ical parties. and an acknowledged
surplus in the treasury of 100000
600. The great labor of Congress
has been to devise means Of depicting
the treasury and thus give excuse
for continuance of the war-tax.
It's generally supposed.that ma
jority of the people are in favor of a
protective tariff, but this cannot be
the belief. of the politicians or they
would not think it necessary to prom
Use, before every important election,
that revision Of the tariff should
be made and economy practiced.
Those in favor Of a protective tariff
are so much more active and have so
much more money at their command,
which they lavishly expend in infu-
encing legislation and buying up the
press that the deafeniDg clamor and
constant repetition passes for the
popular will. Again, o hundred
towns and reighborhoods may be
kept in silence by the example of one
single town or neighborhood which
has become more prosperous by its
proximity to manufacturing cen
ter, not realizing that like good
fortune can never attend any one of
the hundred. Take the iron interest
which has been agitated in this, our
county OF Clarke; almost, there may
be 10 or II farms that promise to
yield profit from mineral deposits.
This is enough to awaken visions
of untold prosperity to the whole
county, and while it may not make
single high. tariff man in the coun-
ty yet there is disposition in some
to allow the tariff on iron to remain;
peradvcnture it might help our
county. = -
Now admitting that the iron is
valuable and rill be worked for all
it is worth, can any farmer or citizen
living one mile from these deposits
say how and to what extent he will
be benefited? On the other hand,
reduce the tariff on nails one cent a
pound 1.-THE tax is II cents) and
every citizen will feel and be able to
calculate to what extent he is bene-
fitted. But extend this reduction to
horse-shoes, chains, knives and the
hundred articles Of iron and steel
which are in daily use, and the ben
eft to the county, State and U. S.
States will overtop all the steel, iron
and ore monopolies in America. Or
start one creamery and compare its
influence with all the mineral depos-
its in the county.
There is another yieG to be taken
of the tariff question. We have
shown how protection on iron is q
delusion; now look at reduction in
another light. A general reduction
in tariff charges would increase the
revenue to such an extent, by allow
ing prohibited articles to come in
that the whole internal revenue sys-
TEN might be abolished and in addi-
tion to this many articles of prime
necessity could be placed on the free
list Now suppose, as is fair, that
this increased activity in foreign
trade increased the price of wheat 2
cents a bushel; this would give $40
on every 1000 bushels-which is a
margin for profit. Now let organic
ed and persistent influence and leg
islation be brought to bear on rail
roads for reduction of 2 cents in
freight and we have another $40,
making $40 ON every 1000 bushels
of wheat!n is that worth striving
for? Perhaps not, if you are rich
and prosperous; but there are hun
dreds who are striving for less and
fail to secure even that, and for no
other cause than that they do not
| arise in their might and throttle
these monopolies.
Bear in mind, there is only one
way to gain relief, and that is to or
ganize and discuss these questions
and vote only for those men who arc